When Our Faith Wavers

When Our Faith Wavers

James 1:1-8

The Bible warns against wavering faith. This is the attitude of someone who goes from feeling certain that God will answer a prayer to merely hoping that He might (or becoming convinced that He won’t). Of course, since we’re human, we all experience periods of doubt. But what Scripture warns against is a lifestyle of spiritual vacillation.

Wavering can have many causes. For instance, one might fail to see the Lord at work in a situation. Or he might worry that trusting Jesus in a particular predicament conflicts with human reasoning. Another believer, focusing on circumstances rather than on God, may allow feelings to overcome faith.

A person who is “driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6) may lose confidence in the Lord and find his spiritual growth stunted. Such a believer can become a “double-minded man” (v. 8) because even as he prays, he tends to jump ahead of the Lord’s timing to manipulate a situation for his own desired outcome. When a Christian pays attention to his doubts in this way, he will often make wrong decisions that prove costly. And then, after all the maneuvering, he will frequently end up dissatisfied with the results and bothered by his lack of peace. What’s even worse, his faith may diminish.

Wavering is dangerous, so believers must develop confidence in the Lord. In Mark 11:24, Jesus says, “All things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.” The closest we get to perfect faith while on earth is the ability to trust that what we ask in God’s will is as good as done.

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He Holds the Keys - Greg Laurie Daily Devotions

Greg Laurie Daily Devotions

He Holds the Keys

And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” - (Revelation 1:17–18)

Revelation 3 records the words of Jesus to the church of the last days known as the church of Philadelphia. In this chapter Jesus says some very specific things about how they are to live in the end times. But I think we could just as easily take out the word “Philadelphia” and insert our own names in this passage. Why? Because these are the words of Jesus not only to the last days church, but to last days believers:

“These things says He who is holy, He who is true, ‘He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens: I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.’ ” (verses 7–8)

Here we read that Jesus has the key of David. (I am glad He has the keys because if I did, they would be lost by now.)

Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t lose keys. He has the key to every lock. Jesus can open every door. God is in control of all events in the history of this planet—past, present, and future. God will open some doors, and He will close others. He will determine how long we will live. That is not up to us; that is up to Him. The doors God closes are closed for good. And the doors He opens will be opened for good. No power on earth can change this.

It is a good reminder for us to remember that God is in control. We don’t have to be afraid to commit an unknown future to a known God. He is in control of our lives.

In His Hands - Greg Laurie Daily Devotions

Greg Laurie Daily Devotions

In His Hands

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. - (Revelation 12:11)

How important it is for us to know that our lives belong to God. God decides the day of our birth, and God decides the day of our death. But we have everything to do with the dash in the middle.

In Revelation 12:11, we read of the saints during the Tribulation who “overcame [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

They did not love their lives to the death.These believers knew their lives belonged to God. They knew that as followers of Jesus during the Tribulation period, they could lose their lives. They also knew their times were in God’s hands. Thus, they spoke up for their faith in Christ and, whatever the consequences were, they were ready to face them.

A story is told from the pages of Christian history about a believer who was brought before one of the Caesars. He was told to renounce his faith and give glory to Caesar. The man would not do it. So the emperor said to him, “Give up Christ, or I will banish you.”

The Christian said, “You can’t banish me from Christ, for God says, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ ”

The emperor said, “I will confiscate your property.”

The Christian replied, “My treasures are laid up in heaven. You can’t touch them.”

The emperor said, “I will kill you.”

The Christian answered, “I have been dead to this world in Christ for 40 years. My life is hidden with Christ in God. You can’t touch it.”

The emperor turned to some of the members of his court and said, in complete disgust, “What can you do with such a fanatic?”

May God give us more Christians like this.

Summary sentence: Be a fanatic for Christ!

Step out in Faith - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

Step out in Faith - Christ’s Commission Fellowship


Philippians 4:11-13
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”

Without Limbs - Without Limits
Imagine a limbless man being the hands and feet of Jesus. Nick Vujicic is that man. Born without arms or legs, he has traveled the world proclaiming Jesus’ love. Hundreds of thousands have placed their trust in Jesus and will go to heaven because of his witness. If God can use a man without arms and legs, then He can certainly use you, if you are willing.

The Joy of the Lord
Nick prayed to have arms and legs when he was a child. He thought that having hands and feet will give him joy. But he didn’t get his miracle.

At 10, Nick became depressed and tried to commit suicide to end his misery. However, the thought of hurting his parents who love him unconditionally that kept him from taking his life.
Like Nick, we all also go through trials and tribulations. We experience brokenness and sometimes even depression.

Nick’s encouragement to us is to not let our brokenness define our future. We are not to let our circumstances define our joy. Often we think that we will be joyful if we have this or that. But Jesus is the only true source of joy.

We may be praying for a miracle, a cure for cancer or other disease. Sometimes God does not give us that miracle. But if we know Jesus, we should not fear death. Nick looks forward to going to heaven and so should we! It is where Jesus is. In heaven, there is no more death, pain, tears or sickness.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Do not believe the lies of the devil. You are not accidents. You are beautiful! You are fearfully and wonderfully made by God! Our Father God is the King of kings. His children are princes and princesses. We can be confident that God works all things for the good of His children (Rom. 8:28).
God has plans to prosper us and not to harm us (Jer. 29:11). “Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles…” (Isa. 41:31) That is what Nick has experienced. Nick may not be able to walk, but he soars on eagle’s wings because God is with him.

Let God speak to us in His word. Do not be too BUSY – Being Under Satan’s Yoke. God is our first priority. After God, our family is our priority. Ministry should not be above your family.
Do not be so busy trying to provide for your family that you neglect them. Your family does not need an excellent provider; they need a spiritual leader who trusts in the Provider. Model the Heavenly Father who is patient, kind and gentle in loving and forgiving His children.

No one can deny that Nick is God’s miracle. He is a testament that a man without arms and legs can be an amazing example of the joy of the Lord empowering us. He understands now that God did not give him the arms and legs that he prayed for when he was a child so that God’s work might be displayed in him (Jn. 9:1-3).

Nick asked for a miracle, but God’s plans for him are better than the miracle that he prayed for. In spite of his condition, God uses Nick to win thousands of lives for Jesus. And because of his condition, people see that there is hope in Jesus.

If you don’t get a miracle, you can still be a miracle to someone else in the hands of the Lord. – Nick Vujicic
You can only do this when you have a personal and intimate relationship with the Lord. If you do not have this relationship with Jesus, you can pray the following prayer to know Him, experience His forgiveness, and receive His gift of eternal life. That is the greatest miracle!

Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me and for dying to pay for all my sins. I need You. Today I repent of my sins and I trust You to be my Lord and Savior. Thank You for Your free gift of eternal life. Use me to be a blessing to others. I will love and follow You. Amen.

Step out in faith and be a blessing to others!

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for
You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever

Psalm 23

Born Again

Born Again

John 3:1-8

Nicodemus was a Pharisee—a learned man of the law and member of the rabbinical council known as the Sanhedrin. People of his day would have assumed that such credentials guaranteed his spiritual well-being. Nevertheless, Jesus told him that the only way to enter the kingdom of God was to be born again.

Many people today are like Nicodemus. They’re religious. They’re moral. They compare themselves to others and, as a result, feel pretty good. They reason, Somehow, ourloving, gracious, wonderful God will make it possible for all of us to end up in heaven. Yet this is absolutely false. The Lord Jesus said, “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again”’ (John 3:7).

Our sins separate us from God. Being good cannot close the gap, because no matter how well we try to behave, all of us sin. It is ournature to be sinful, and our nature is something we cannot change.

The great self-deception has to do with thinking, I can perform well enough to be acceptable to the Lord. The only way to be acceptable toGod is to be born from above, by an act of God. Then the soul and spirit are radically changed forever. When a person places trust in Jesus Christ as Savior, he or she experiences a regeneration—a giving of divine life to the spirit. In other words, at the moment of salvation, we become a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17 NIV).

You may be “performing” well by serving God, reading the Bible, giving, and praying. But has there ever been a radical change in your soul—a time when you came into a personal relationship with God? Do you have a new nature through the work of the Holy Spirit? If you cannot answer yes to these questions, you need to be born again.

God’s Spirit: An Essential

God’s Spirit: An Essential

Luke 24:36-49

Just how necessary is the Holy Spirit for those wishing to live a God-pleasing life? For an answer, let’s look at a clear example from the Bible. Jesus had told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until their baptism by His Spirit (Acts 2:1-4). This chosen group of men had lived with the Lord and listened to His teachings for more than three years; nevertheless, He knew they couldn’t begin their work without the divine partner God had planned for them. The same holds true for us today.

Just who is the Holy Spirit? He is called the third person of the Trinity, the other two members being God the Father and God the Son. Like them, He is fully God. Some Christians mistakenly think of the Spirit as a force or a power, but the Bible reveals He is a person—someone whom we can get to know.

He is also the promise of the Father. God pledged to send His Spirit as a helper to every single person in His family. Called the Spirit of truth (John 14:16-17), He is charged with transforming us into the image of Jesus.

Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is a gift to every Christian. At the moment of salvation, He is sent to live within each believer, sealing him or her as a child of God (Eph. 1:13). We do not have to pray to receive Him, nor can we perform any work to get Him.

Settle in your mind once and for all that within you is a divine Person. His presence is a gift promised and given to you by God on your spiritual “birth-day.” By getting to know the Holy Spirit better and listening carefully to what He says throughout the Scriptures, you will be able to please the Father (Col. 1:10).

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Selfish Christianity

Selfish Christianity

John 6:22-27

Think honestly about this question: Which interests you more—who Jesus is or what He can do for you? I’m afraid that too many of us are more concerned about what the Lord can give us than we are about getting to know who He is.

But this is nothing new—Jesus had the same problem when He walked on earth. The crowds often sought Him out for what He could do for them. Even though their needs were quite often legitimate, Christ knew their motives.

There is a fine line between selfishly trying to use the Lord to get what we want and humbly coming to Him with our needs and struggles. Some of the issues we bring to Him are so pressing and urgent in our minds that our desire for Him to take action in the way we want becomes greater than our willingness to submit to His will. At times, what we call “faith” is really a demanding spirit.

We must remember that our earthly needs will come to an end, but Jesus Christ will remain forever. If our prayers have dealt only with presenting our requests to the Lord, then we are missing a great opportunity to get to know the One with whom we are going to spend all eternity. Let’s invest time in pursuing intimacy with the great God who created us. Then we can enjoy all the benefits of that relationship forever.

How much of your communion with God is devoted to your needs—even legitimate ones? Are you spending any time getting to know the Lord? Although God delights in our prayers and tells us to pray about everything, He also wants us to come to Him just because we enjoy being with Him.

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Why We Miss God’s Will

Why We Miss God’s Will

1 John 5:13-15

The Father has provided the Holy Spirit to teach His children about His will for their lives (John 14:26). Why, then, do we have difficulty understanding what the plan is?

We make decisions based on emotion. When life presses in on us, our instinct is to move away from the source of stress or pain. At such times, our need to remove difficulties and turmoil from our life can take precedence over the Lord’s plan. We figure He could not possibly want us to feel this way, so we take action and then hope that we are in His will. Our emphasis is on ourselves rather than on God’s purposes.

We focus only on the immediate. Many times we come to the Lord troubled about the choices we or our loved ones are facing. We do not see how this situation could possibly be His will. Our short-term focus prevents us from seeing God’s long-term purposes.

We conduct a superficial search. In our desire for an answer, we can fall into a trap and treat finding God’s will like a checklist—read the Bible, pray, fast, serve, worship, give. Then, satisfied with what we have done, we press the Lord for His answer now. But we have neglected to give God the time and stillness needed for us to hear from Him (Ps. 46:10). Investing time with our Creator is a necessity, not a luxury, and listening to Him without distractions is essential.

How much Bible study is required to find out what our heavenly Father wants for us? What amount of prayer? What quantity of time? The answer is simple: Whatever it takes to hear from God. He will answer. The question is, Will we wait?

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Missing God’s Will

Missing God’s Will

Psalm 119:17-24

How would you describe the process of discovering God’s will? Would you call it . . .

Fantasy (“I do not believe God has a plan for specific areas of my life”)?
Mystery (“God has a plan, but it is so hard to figure out”)?
Biography (“I know Scripture reveals who God is and what His plans are, but at times I get confused”)?

Let’s look at some of the reasons that we might miss God’s will.

• Handling God’s Word improperly. When our days become jam-packed with commitments and activities, we have trouble maintaining a steady intake of Scripture. Without significant time in the Word, we tend to forget what matters to God. When we start mixing the world’s lies with the Father’s truth, we will step out of His plan. Other times we will incorrectly use Scripture to bolster decisions we have already made. Or, when the Bible does not match what we want, we might reject it and do things our own way.

• Picking the wrong guide. When making decisions, we sometimes rely too heavily on other peoples’ opinions. We think that the easiest and quickest way to get answers is to ask fellow Christians or unbelievers who seem “wise.” In other instances, we use our friends’ lifestyle as a yardstick for God’s will: we decide that if they can act a certain way, so can we. Or we might assume that if our way is better than their choices, God will approve.

Making Scripture your daily companion is the best way not to miss God’s plan. Be prepared to spend time reading and listening while the Spirit teaches you what God’s will is for your life.

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Benefits of Having the Holy Spirit

Benefits of Having the Holy Spirit

John 16:5-22

The disciples were blessed to be in Jesus’ inner circle—can you imagine the countless benefits they enjoyed from listening to His teaching and watching Him do supernatural wonders? Perhaps you’ve wished you, too, could have lived in those days and walked the dusty roads with Him. From our present perspective, we can’t conceive of anything greater than seeing Jesus in person.

Since that’s exactly how the disciples felt, we can understand why they were saddened when He announced that He was returning to His Father in heaven. But He promised to send them a Helper—and even said that it was to their advantage that He was leaving so the Spirit could come. Today, we live in the era of the indwelling Holy Spirit, but do we really understand the advantages we have because of His presence in our lives?

Although we can’t see Jesus face to face, we can have an even more intimate relationship with Him because we carry His Holy Spirit within our bodies. One of the Spirit’s tasks is to disclose the things of Jesus. If we need wisdom and insight, He’s ready to provide it whenever we read God’s Word. He’s also the one who unleashes power in our lives—the same divine power Christ used to accomplish His Father’s will.

Despite such wonderful advantages, many believers never sense the Spirit’s presence or access the insight and power available to them. Is God’s Holy Spirit your intimate companion, guide, and helper, or is He merely some vague Christian concept? Don’t neglect this treasure—understand that almighty God lives within you!

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How to Reach Your Goals

How to Reach Your Goals

1 Samuel 17:24-47

In order to become the people God wants us to be and achieve the work He has planned for us to do, we need to ask ourselves several questions.

l. Do I have a clear picture of who God wants me to become? Try writing down where you believe the transforming work of God is bringing you. It is important to be able to visualize what we will be like and the improvements that will come about once we have accomplished our goals.

2. Do I have a consuming desire to meet the goals God has given me? Passion is essential in motivating us to make the harder changes the Lord requires—and to achieve all the tasks He has given us. Our degree of commitment will be revealed by our motivation and sense of urgency about meeting our goals.

3. Is my confidence resting in my relationship with Jesus and His promises to me? (See Philippians 4:13.) It is valuable to develop a habit of remembering past times when the Lord helped us. Without confidence in Him, we may become discouraged when we meet obstacles.

4. Do I know my course of action? The key word here is action. To move forward requires having a strategy that points us in the direction God wants us to go.

5. Have I established a calendar of events and deadlines for meeting the goals? Responding to God’s direction in a timely fashion is essential in order to make progress.

Many people cannot answer most of these questions positively. If that’s the case for you, do not let yourself be discouraged. Instead, recognize the opportunity before you: the Lord already knew what you would answer—and He is waiting to help.

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The Advantages of Goal Setting

The Advantages of Goal Setting

Philippians 3:12-14

If you’ve ever been locked out of your house, you know how important keys are. For believers, goal setting is a key that opens the door to Christlike living and affects us in a number of ways. Let’s think about five changes we can look for.

1. Excitement is renewed. When we are not clear on our direction, enthusiasm wanes. Excitement comes as we strive toward our goals and see the Lord at work transforming us.

2. Direction replaces drifting. Without goals, we lose sight of where we’re headed and instead begin to drift. Complacency replaces passion, and we start allowing justification to enter our thought process—such as, This is just who I am. Goals help us focus on who we are becoming.

3. Excellence replaces mediocrity. Without goals, we start living a humdrum “don’t bother me” way of life. Working with focus counters this mindset.

4. Our attitudes will improve. When we don’t like the choices we’re making, our tendency can be to criticize others. But when we are following God’s plan, we will feel better about ourselves and relate more positively to those around us.

5. Life will be rewarding. If we live for ourselves, we will be disappointed. Setting godly goals helps us wisely use the time, energy, resources, and talents that the Lord has given us. Life is a gift, and we are to be good stewards of it. That is difficult to do in the absence of goals.

It will be easier to identify distractions and evaluate opportunities if you compare them to established goals. Choices then become clearer, and you will be able to reap the benefits of goal setting: enthusiasm, direction, excellence, and reward.

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Goal Setting: The Key to Success

  Goal Setting: The Key to Success

Philippians 3:7-14


The world is full of advice on how to set and achieve goals. In each case, the steps start with us—identifying who we want to become and what we should do to be “successful.” But Christian goal setting is to start with an attitude and focus that is God-centered.

The attitude is: I want to be who God wants me to be. The focus is: I will look to God for direction in all areas of my life, and I will obey. Both aspects involve identifying the steps that the Lord wants us to take, but oftentimes we find ourselves not doing that. Let’s consider what stops us.

Some people lack knowledge on how to identify the Lord’s plan, whereas others are mentally lazy. The solution to both situations is to give attention to the Word of God. When we invest significant time considering Jesus’ life and words, we will learn His pattern for living and then be able to identify specific steps to take. This requires mental energy and commitment, but the reward is great.

Lack of faith can be another hindrance. When that’s the problem, we tend to think, Why should we set goals when we are convinced we cannot do what the Lord’s asking? The answer is to build our faith through systematic Bible study and apply it by setting a series of smaller goals.

Fear of failure can also prevent us from establishing goals. We can overcome this obstacle by remembering that in Christ, there is no condemnation (Rom. 8:1).

Do you desire to move ahead in your Christian life, becoming more like Jesus and acting less like your old self? Goal setting with the right attitude and focus will help.

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Effective Witnesses

Effective Witnesses

Philippians 2:12-16

Some of the most effective witnesses are those who have gone through painful, trying circumstances. Consider how the gospel has spread in parts of the world that are poor, oppressed, and troubled. Or think about the way that you respond to the triumphant stories of former criminals, abuse victims, and religious prisoners. God’s power is manifest in man’s weakest moments.

Whether believers develop into stronger witnesses as a result of difficulties depends on their response to crisis. Many people make the mistake of focusing on the will of man instead of God’s sovereignty. Then they find it impossible to believe that the Lord will bring positive results from their pain.

Those who rise above their circumstances understand that God uses every experience for good (Rom. 8:28). To trust that principle, we must realize whatever we experience is under the authority of a kind, loving Father. Paul’s time in prison yielded better and more abundant fruit than he could have produced any other way (Phil. 1:13). He spread the gospel to the most elite Roman soldiers because he was chained to one after another every day for years. As we turn our attention to Christ, He reveals opportunities for impacting people with the gospel. These are often chances we wouldn’t have had apart from trying circumstances.

You are always in God’s hand. Focusing upon His sovereign will and the good He has in store for you is not easy in hard times. I understand. 
But I also know that God never allows anything to touch us that He will not turn to our benefit and the good of His kingdom.

A Lifetime of Holiness

A Lifetime of Holiness

Romans 12:1-3

By placing faith in Jesus Christ, a new believer is sanctified—that is, he is set apart for God’s purpose. Unlike salvation, which takes place in a single moment, sanctification is a lifelong process. We who have trusted in Christ as Savior and allow His Holy Spirit to control our lives are currently being sanctified, no matter what we may feel or how our actions appear to others. We are progressively maturing in our faith.

If we are progressing, then we must be working our way toward something. The apostle Paul explained the Christian’s mission this way: “For those whom [God] foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29). The character, conduct, and conversation of a believer are to reflect Christ, who lives within through His Spirit.

On our own, we would place too much emphasis on conduct and get caught up following rules and rituals that look Christian but do not actually reflect Christ. God, however, has given each believer His Spirit as a teacher and guide. The Holy Spirit’s work is to transform our minds and hearts so our character is markedly different from that of our unsaved peers. Only when we are under the Spirit’s control can we speak and act according to who we truly are: God’s sons and daughters.

Our heavenly Father wants His children to be living examples and reflections of who He is. He doesn’t expect perfection from us—He knows that we cannot be totally sinless as long as we remain in our human body. Rather, He shows us how to think and act so we may “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which [we] have been called” (Eph. 4:1).